JP4675230B2 - Floor-standing air sanitizer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a portable floor-standing air sterilizer that can remove airborne microbial viruses and the like.

In general, for the purpose of removing airborne microbial viruses, etc., a sterilization device has been proposed in which electrolyzed water mist is diffused in the air and this electrolyzed water mist is brought into direct contact with airborne microorganisms to inactivate viruses and the like. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-181358 A

  However, in the sterilization apparatus described above, it is effective in a use environment where fine particulate electrolyzed water mist easily reaches, that is, in a use environment where electrolyzed water mist is difficult to reach while being effective in a relatively small space, that is, a large space. For example, there is a problem that it is difficult to exert its effect in kindergartens, elementary / middle / high schools, nursing care insurance facilities, hospitals, and the like.

In order to solve this problem, when electrolyzed water obtained by electrolyzing tap water is dropped onto the gas-liquid contact member, indoor air is blown to the gas-liquid contact member, and when passing through the gas-liquid contact member Air sterilizers that release air sterilized again into the room (large space) have been developed.
In this sterilization apparatus, the inside of the housing is divided by a partition plate, and a gas-liquid contact member and a water tray that receives the electrolyzed water flowing out from the gas-liquid contact member are arranged in the partitioned chamber. In this case, it is desirable that the gas-liquid contact member is arranged to be almost full in the lateral width of the partitioned room from the viewpoint of increasing the contact area.
For this reason, in such a structure, it is necessary to attach a water receiving tray to a partition plate watertight so that electrolyzed water may not leak from the clearance gap between a partition plate and a water receiving tray. Here, as a means for attaching the water tray to the partition plate in a watertight manner, for example, welding is conceivable. However, in the case of attaching by welding, there is a problem that the welded portion is easily oxidized by the electrolytic water and the operation becomes complicated. .

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a floor-standing type air sterilization apparatus that can solve the problems of the conventional techniques described above and can attach a water receiving tray to a partition plate in a watertight manner without welding. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention divides the inside of a floor-standing housing by a partition plate, and is arranged in one chamber so as to be almost full in the width of this one chamber. A gas-liquid contact member to which water is supplied and a blower fan for blowing indoor air to the gas-liquid contact member are provided, and the other chamber is provided with a control means for controlling the blower fan and the electrolyzed water generation unit. A water tray that receives the electrolyzed water that has flowed out of the gas-liquid contact member is disposed below the gas-liquid contact member, and an end portion of the water tray passes through the partition plate and extends to the other chamber. It is characterized by.

  According to this configuration, since the end portion of the water tray passes through the partition plate and extends to the other chamber side, there is no gap between the partition plate and the water tray. Can be watertightly attached to the partition plate. Further, according to this configuration, since the water tray is attached to the partition plate by inserting the end portion of the water tray into the opening formed in the partition plate, this attachment work can be easily performed.

  In this case, the other chamber may be provided with a cover member that covers the end of the water tray. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which gave the antirust coating to the water receiving tray. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which gave the antirust coating to the partition plate. Alternatively, the electrolyzed water may contain active oxygen species obtained by electrolyzing tap water, and the active oxygen species may include at least one substance selected from hypochlorous acid, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide.

  In the present invention, since the end portion of the water tray is made to penetrate the partition plate and extend to the other chamber side, there is no gap between the partition plate and the water tray, and this water tray is separated from the partition plate. Can be attached to watertight.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 1, the code | symbol 1 shows a floor-standing type air sanitizer. This floor-mounted air sterilization apparatus 1 includes a box-shaped housing 2, which includes a leg piece 2A, a front panel 2B, and a top panel 2C, on both sides of the top panel 2C. The operation lid 2D and the opening / closing lid 2E are arranged side by side.

  As shown in FIG. 2, two partition plates 51, 52 extending in the vertical direction are provided inside the housing 2, and three chambers (a sterilization chamber 60, an electrical component) are provided by these partition plates 51, 52. It is divided into a chamber 61 and a water supply chamber 62). A horizontally long suction port 3 is formed in a lower part of a sterilization chamber (one chamber) 60 formed in the center of the housing 2, and a pre-filter 3 </ b> A is disposed above the suction port 3. A blower fan 7 is disposed above the pre-filter 3A, and a gas-liquid contact member 5 having high water retention is disposed above the blower fan 7 in a brace shape as shown in FIG. Below the liquid contact member 5, a water tray 9 that receives the electrolyzed water flowing out from the gas-liquid contact member 5 is disposed. As shown in FIG. 3, the water tray 9 has a substantially V-shaped cross section. Moreover, as shown in FIG.2 and FIG.3, the horizontally long blower outlet 4 from which the blowing air which passed this gas-liquid contact member 5 is blown out is formed above the gas-liquid contact member 5. As shown in FIG. Reference numeral 8 denotes a support plate for the blower fan 7, and the support plate 8 is suspended substantially horizontally on the partition plates 51 and 52.

Although not shown in the electrical chamber (the other chamber) 61 formed on the left side of the housing 2, electrical components such as a printed circuit board (control means) that controls the operation of the floor-standing air sterilizer 1 are provided. Contained. On the other hand, in the water supply chamber 62 formed on the right side of the housing 2, as shown in FIG. 2, the water supply tank support tray 10 for storing the electrolyzed water received by the water tray 9 and the water supply tank support tray 10 for storage. A circulating pump 13 that pumps out the electrolyzed water, and an electrolysis tank 31 that electrolyzes the water pumped out by the circulating pump 13 to generate electrolyzed water are accommodated.

  The gas-liquid contact member 5 is a filter member having a honeycomb structure, has a structure in which a wide gas contact area is ensured, electrolytic water can be dropped, and clogging is difficult. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the gas-liquid contact member 5 is formed in a honeycomb shape as a whole by joining a material 5A bent into a wave shape and a flat material 5B. These materials 5A and 5B include materials that are less reactive to electrolyzed water, which will be described later, that is, materials that are less susceptible to degradation by electrolyzed water, such as polyolefin resin-based, PET resin-based, vinyl chloride resin-based, fluororesin-based, or ceramic resin. Materials such as systems are used. The inclination angle θ of the gas-liquid contact member 5 is desirably 30 ° or more. In the case of less than that, the dropped electrolyzed water does not flow along the inclination of the gas-liquid contact member 5 but falls downward. Further, when the inclination angle θ approaches 90 °, the air blowing path passing through the gas-liquid contact member 5 becomes nearly horizontal, and it is difficult to blow upward by that much. When this blowing direction is horizontal, the blown air cannot be blown far away, and as described later, the device is not suitable for sterilization of a large space. The inclination angle θ is preferably 80 °> θ> 30 °, and is about 40 ° in the present configuration.

5A to 5C show a means for dropping electrolytic water onto the gas-liquid contact member 5.
Below the gas-liquid contact member 5, the water tray 9 is arranged as described above, and the water tank support tray 10 is connected to the water tray 9. In this configuration, the water tray 9 is arranged with a downward slope toward the water tank support tray 10, and the electrolyzed water received by the water tray 9 is configured to easily flow into the water tank support tray 10. In this water supply tank support tray 10, a water supply tank 11 for supplying tap water containing chlorine ions and a circulation pump 13 are arranged in the water supply tank support tray 10. An electrolytic tank (electrolyzed water generating unit) 31 is connected to the circulation pump 13, and an electrolytic water supply pipe 17 is connected to the electrolytic tank 31. The electrolyzed water supply pipe 17 is configured to include a large number of water spray holes (not shown) on the outer periphery, and as shown in FIG. 5B, in the water spray box 5C formed at the upper edge of the gas-liquid contact member Has been inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the electrolytic cell 31 includes electrodes 32 and 33, and when the electrodes 32 and 33 are energized, electrolyze tap water flowing into the electrolytic cell 31 to generate active oxygen species. Let Here, active oxygen species are molecules having higher oxidative activity than normal oxygen and related substances, such as superoxide anion, singlet oxygen, hydroxyl radical, or hydrogen peroxide, in a narrow sense. It is assumed that active oxygen includes active oxygen in a broad sense such as ozone and hypohalogen acid. The electrolytic cell 31 is arranged close to the gas-liquid contact member 5 and is configured to be able to immediately supply the active oxygen species generated by electrolyzing tap water to the gas-liquid contact member 5.

The electrodes 32 and 33 are, for example, electrode plates in which the base is made of Ti (titanium) and the coating layer is made of Ir (iridium) or Pt (platinum). The current value applied to the electrodes 32 and 33 is the current density. A predetermined free residual chlorine concentration (for example, 1 mg (milligram) / l (liter)) is generated as several mA to several tens mA (milliampere) / cm ² (square centimeter).

When the tap water is energized by the electrodes 32 and 33, the cathode electrode
4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻ + (4OH ⁻ ) → 2H ₂ + (4OH ⁻ )
And the anode electrode
2H ₂ O → 4H ⁺ + O ₂ + 4e ⁻
As soon as the reaction of
Chlorine ions contained in water (pre-added to tap water)
2Cl ⁻ → Cl ₂ + 2e ⁻
In addition, this Cl ₂ reacts with water,
Cl ₂ + H ₂ O → HClO + HCl
It becomes.

  In this configuration, when the electrodes 32 and 33 are energized, HClO (hypochlorous acid) having a high sterilizing power is generated, and air is passed through the gas-liquid contact member 5 to which this hypochlorous acid is supplied. The gas-liquid contact member 5 can prevent germs from breeding, and can inactivate viruses floating in the air passing through the gas-liquid contact member 5. Further, when the odor passes through the gas-liquid contact member 5, it reacts with hypochlorous acid in the electrolytic water, and is ionized and dissolved to be removed from the air and deodorized.

  By the way, it is desirable that the floor-standing air sterilization apparatus 1 increases the contact area of the air-electrolyzed water in the gas-liquid contact member 5 in order to efficiently inactivate viruses floating in the air. For this reason, in this embodiment, the gas-liquid contact member 5 is arrange | positioned at the breadth of the sterilization chamber 60 substantially as shown in FIG. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the water tray 9 disposed below the gas-liquid contact member 5 is disposed with a gradient in which the electrical equipment chamber 61 side is raised and the water supply chamber 62 side is lowered. As shown in FIG. 7, the upper end (end) 9 </ b> A of the water tray 9 is made to penetrate the partition plate 51 so that the electrolyzed water does not leak downward from the gap between the water tray 9 and the partition plate 51. It is comprised so that it may extend to the electrical equipment room 61 side. Specifically, the water receiving tray 9 has a sponge-like sealing member 74 attached to the back side thereof, and the partition plate 51 has substantially the same shape as the cross-sectional shape of the water receiving tray 9 (including the sealing member 74) ( In this embodiment, a substantially V-shaped opening 51A is formed, and the water tray 9 has an upper end 9A of the water tray 9 extending to the electrical equipment chamber 61 side through the opening 51A.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a water return portion (draining means) 71 is formed at the upper end portion 9 </ b> A of the water tray 9. The water return portion 71 is formed by bending the lower edge portion of the upper end portion 9 </ b> A of the water tray 9 upward so as to prevent the electrolytic water accumulated on the water tray 9 from flowing into the electrical equipment chamber 61. To do. In this configuration, since the water tray 9 is arranged with a downward slope from the electrical equipment chamber 61 toward the sterilization chamber 60, the electrolyzed water on the water tray 9 does not flow backward to the electrical equipment chamber 61 side. In the unlikely event that electrolyzed water has accumulated on the water tray 9, the water return portion 71 formed on the upper end 9A of the water tray 9 prevents the electrolyzed water from entering the electrical equipment chamber 61. Is done. In this configuration, as shown in FIG. 8, the water tray 9 passes through the opening 51 </ b> A of the partition plate 51 from the electrical equipment chamber 61 side and supplies water through the opening 52 </ b> A formed in the partition plate 52 at the tip of the water tray 9. By extending to the chamber 62 side, the partition plates 51 and 52 are attached.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a cover member 72 that covers the upper end portion 9 </ b> A of the water tray 9 is attached to the electrical component chamber 61 side of the partition plate 51. The cover member 72 is formed with attachment pieces 72A and 72B extending from the upper and lower surfaces thereof, and attachment holes 73 are provided in the attachment pieces 72A and 72B. On the other hand, screw holes 51B are formed in the partition plate 51 at positions corresponding to the attachment holes 73, and the cover member 72 is attached by screws 75 (see FIG. 8). The cover member 72 prevents air containing electrolyzed water from flowing into the electrical equipment chamber 61 from the sterilization chamber 60 through the opening 51A.

Further, the water tray 9, the partition plate 51, and the partition plate 52 are provided with a rust preventive coating such as cationic coating on the surface thereof. In general, hypochlorous acid in electrolyzed water has the property of oxidizing metal such as iron to rust. For this reason, in this structure, the water tray 9 and the partition plates 51, 52 are provided by applying a rust preventive coating to the surface of the water tray 9 that constantly receives electrolyzed water and the partition plates 51, 52 adjacent to the water tray 9. Prevents the occurrence of rust.
In the present embodiment, as described above, the water tray 9 is configured to be attached to the partition plates 51 and 52 by being inserted into the openings 51A and 52A. According to this configuration, since the water tray 9 can be assembled without welding, the effect of the anticorrosion coating is not lost due to heat during welding, and the water tray 9 and the partition plates 51 and 52 are not affected. Rust generation can be prevented. Further, by applying rust prevention coating to the water tray 9 and the partition plates 51 and 52 in advance, it is not necessary to newly apply rust prevention processing to the assembly parts of these members, and the assembly work of these members can be easily performed. It can be carried out. In the present embodiment, the water tray 9 and the partition plates 51 and 52 are configured to be rust-proofed. However, the water tray and the partition plate may be formed of stainless steel (sus304).

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
In FIG. 1, when the operation lid 2D is opened, an operation panel (not shown) is provided, and the operation of the floor-standing air sterilizer 1 is started by operating this operation panel. When this operation is started, referring to FIG. 9, circulation pump 13 is driven, and tap water accumulated in water supply tank support tray 10 is supplied to electrolytic bath 31.
In the electrolytic bath 31, when the electrodes 32 and 33 are energized, tap water is electrolyzed to generate electrolytic water containing active oxygen species. This electrolyzed water is sprinkled into the watering box 5C through a watering hole (not shown) of the electrolyzed water supply pipe 17, and from here it soaks into the upper edge of the gas-liquid contact member 5 and gradually toward the lower part. Wet.

  The surplus electrolyzed water is collected in the water tray 9 and flows into the adjacent water supply tank support tray 10 where it is stored. In this configuration, when water is circulated and the amount of water is reduced by evaporation or the like, an appropriate amount of tap water is supplied to the water supply tank support tray 10 via the water supply tank 11. When the amount of water in the water supply tank 11 decreases, the open / close lid 2E (see FIG. 1) is opened, the water supply tank 11 is taken out, and tap water is supplied.

  The air-liquid contact member 5 wetted with the electrolyzed water is supplied with room air as indicated by an arrow X through the blower fan 7. The indoor air comes into contact with the active oxygen species soaked in the gas-liquid contact member 5 and is blown out into the room again. This reactive oxygen species has a function of destroying and eliminating (removing) the surface protein (spike) of the virus essential for infection when, for example, influenza virus floats in the indoor air. Influenza virus and the receptor (receptor) necessary for the virus to become infected do not bind, thereby preventing infection. As a result of the verification test, it was found that 99% or more of the influenza virus can be removed (inactivated) when the air in which the influenza virus is suspended is passed through the gas-liquid contact member 5 of this configuration.

  In this embodiment, the inside of the floor-standing type housing 2 is divided into a sterilization chamber 60 and an electrical component chamber 61 by a partition plate 51, and the sterilization chamber 60 is arranged to have almost the full width of the sterilization chamber 60. The gas-liquid contact member 5 to which the electrolyzed water is supplied from the electrolytic bath 31 and the blower fan 7 for blowing the indoor air to the gas-liquid contact member 5 are provided. A control means for controlling the electrolytic bath 31 is provided, and a water tray 9 for receiving the electrolyzed water flowing out from the gas-liquid contact member 5 is disposed below the gas-liquid contact member 5, and the end 9A of the water tray 9 is separated from the partition plate. Since 51 is penetrated and extended to the electrical equipment chamber 61, there is no gap between the partition plate 51 and the water tray 9, and the water tray 9 can be attached to the partition plate 51 in a watertight manner. Moreover, in this embodiment, since the water tray 9 is inserted and attached to the opening 51A formed in the partition plate 51, work, such as welding and screwing, becomes unnecessary, and the water tray 9 is easily divided into the partition plate 51. It becomes possible to attach to.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the cover member 72 that covers the end portion 9A of the water tray 9 is attached to the electrical component chamber 61 side of the partition plate 51, so that electrolyzed water is contained through the opening 51 </ b> A of the partition plate 51. Since air is prevented from flowing from the sterilization chamber 60 into the electrical component chamber 61, rust is prevented from being generated in the electrical components in the electrical component chamber 61. Moreover, in this embodiment, since the surface of the water tray 9 and the partition plate 51 is provided with a rust-proof coating such as cationic coating, the water tray 9 that constantly receives electrolytic water and the water tray 9 are adjacent to the water tray 9. It is possible to prevent rust from being generated on the partition plate 51 to be performed.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the indoor air sucked from the suction port 3 provided at the lower part of the housing 2 is brought into contact with the electrolyzed water dropped on the gas-liquid contact member 5 and is provided at the upper part of the housing 2. When the floor-standing air sanitizer 1 is installed in a so-called large space such as a kindergarten, elementary, middle, or high school, a nursing care insurance facility, or a hospital. Even in such a case, the room air sterilized in contact with the electrolyzed water can be blown away from the large space, and air sterilization in the large space can be efficiently achieved.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the electrolyzed water containing hypochlorous acid is collected in the water tray 9 and flows into the adjacent water supply tank support tray 10. For this reason, miscellaneous bacteria do not occur in each dish, and generation of slime is prevented. For this reason, the frequency of cleaning and maintenance of each dish is reduced, and labor such as maintenance can be reduced.

In the above configuration, it is desirable to adjust the concentration of active oxygen species (hypochlorous acid) in the electrolytic water to a target concentration. The target concentration is normally set to a concentration that inactivates viruses or the like (for example, mold fungi) that are frequently present in the installation place (for example, school) of the floor-type air sanitizer 1. In this case, for example, the concentration of hypochlorous acid in the electrolytic water is adjusted by changing the current flowing through the electrodes 32 and 33 or the voltage applied between the electrodes 32 and 33. As an example, the concentration of hypochlorous acid can be changed to a high concentration by increasing the current flowing through the electrodes 32 and 33 (for example, 40 mA / cm ^{2 in} terms of current density). According to this, since it is only necessary to change the voltage applied to the electrode without using a new device or the like, cost reduction and space saving can be achieved.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on one Embodiment, this invention is not limited to this. For example, ozone (O ₃ ) or hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ) may be generated as the active oxygen species. In this case, when a platinum tantalum electrode is used as an electrode, active oxygen species can be stably generated with high efficiency by electrolysis from water having a small ion species.
At this time, in the anode electrode,
2H ₂ O → 4H ⁺ + O ₂ + 4e ⁻
At the same time as
3H ₂ O → O ₃ + 6H ⁺ + 6e ⁻
2H ₂ O → O ₃ + 4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻
This reaction occurs and ozone (O ₃ ) is generated. In the cathode electrode,
4H ⁺ + 4e ⁻ + (4OH ⁻ ) → 2H ₂ + (4OH ⁻ )
O ₂ ⁻ + e ⁻ + 2H ⁺ → H ₂ O ₂
Thus, O ₂ ⁻ produced by the electrode reaction and H ⁺ in the solution are combined to produce hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂ ).

In this construction, by supplying current to the electrodes, a large ozone sterilizing power (O ₃₎ and hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂₎ is generated, these ozone (O ₃₎ and hydrogen peroxide (H ₂ O ₂₎ Electrolyzed water containing can be made. The concentration of ozone or hydrogen peroxide in the electrolyzed water is adjusted to a concentration that inactivates the target virus and the like, and air is passed through the gas-liquid contact member 5 supplied with the electrolyzed water of this concentration. It is possible to inactivate floating target viruses and the like. Further, when the odor passes through the gas-liquid contact member 5, it reacts with ozone or hydrogen peroxide in the electrolytic water, and is ionized and dissolved to be removed from the air and deodorized.

When scale is deposited on the electrode (cathode) by electrolyzing tap water, the electrical conductivity is lowered, and continuous electrolysis becomes difficult.
In this case, it is effective to reverse the polarity of the electrode (switch between positive and negative of the electrode). By electrolysis using the cathode electrode as the anode electrode, the scale deposited on the cathode electrode can be removed. In this polarity reversal control, for example, it may be reversed periodically using a timer, or may be reversed irregularly, such as reversed every time the operation is started. Further, an increase in electrolytic resistance (decrease in electrolysis current or increase in electrolysis voltage) may be detected, and the polarity may be reversed based on this result.

  In the above embodiment, the water supply system using the water supply / removal tank 11 that can be taken in and out is used. However, instead of the water supply tank 11, for example, a water pipe supply system that directly connects city water by connecting a water pipe may be used. Nor. Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the structure which bends and forms the water return part 71 in the edge part 9A of the water tray 9 as a draining means, it is not restricted to this, For example, the edge part of the water tray 9 A bank may be provided on 9A so that the electrolyzed water does not flow backward.

It is a perspective view which shows one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an internal structure. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a housing | casing. It is a front view of a gas-liquid contact member. It is a systematic diagram which shows the means to dripping electrolyzed water to a gas-liquid contact member, A is a side view, B is sectional drawing of a watering box, C is a block diagram of an electrolytic cell. It is a perspective view which shows the inside of a housing | casing. It is the perspective view which looked at the draining plate which penetrates a partition plate from the electrical equipment room side. It is the disassembled perspective view which showed the assembly | attachment state of a partition plate and a draining plate. It is explanatory drawing of air purification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Floor-type air sanitizer 2 Housing | casing 3 Suction inlet 4 Outlet 5 Gas-liquid contact member 7 Blower fan 9 Water receiving tray 9A End 31 Electrolysis tank (electrolyzed water production unit)
51 partition plate 60 sanitization room (one room)
61 Electrical room (the other room)
72 Cover member

Claims (4)

  The inside of the floor-standing casing is divided by a partition plate, and a gas-liquid contact member that is arranged in one chamber in the full width of the one chamber and is supplied with electrolyzed water from the electrolyzed water generating unit, and this The gas-liquid contact member is provided with a blower fan that blows indoor air, and the other chamber is provided with a control means for controlling the blower fan and the electrolyzed water generation unit. The gas-liquid contact member is provided below the gas-liquid contact member. A floor-standing type air sterilizer characterized in that a water tray for receiving electrolyzed water flowing out from a member is disposed, and an end of the water tray is passed through the partition plate and extends to the other chamber.   The floor-standing air sterilizer according to claim 1, wherein a cover member that covers an end of the water tray is provided in the other chamber. The floor-standing air sterilizer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water tray is coated with rust prevention.   The electrolyzed water contains active oxygen species obtained by electrolyzing tap water, and the active oxygen species contains at least one substance selected from hypochlorous acid, ozone, and hydrogen peroxide. The floor-standing air sterilizer according to any one of 1 to 3.

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